William J. Radler

Member since: 2015

Proposed by: Green Tree Garden Club, Zone XI

Recipient of the prestigious Great Rosarian of the World Award in 2008 and the GCA Jane Righter Rose Medal in 2011, William J. Radler hails from Greenfield, Wisconsin. Will became a nationally known hybridizer of roses when in 2000 he introduced the Knock Out® Rose as a recipient of the the All America Rose Selections Award. Since then, the Knock Out® Rose was selected as the official flower for the Beijing Olympics. Knock Out® was the 17th inductee into The World Federation of Rose Societies Hall of Fame in 2018. And the list goes on. Owner of Rose Innovations, LLC since 1994, Will has introduced 10 different varieties in the Knock Out® rose series which nationally is the most well known series of low maintenance landscape roses. He continues to create new low maintenance roses and other perennial specimens. He has been granted fifty patents (50) in all. Millions of William Radler's roses have been sold all over the world and his Knock Out® rose has broken records in sales in the United States only to be superseded by his Double Knock Out®. Will has won numerous awards, both for his plants and his accomplishments. Will graciously opens his two acre garden and outdoor research laboratory with music, to anyone interested in expanding their knowledge of gardening as his garden is meticulously labeled and innovatively laid out. He lectures willingly to garden clubs and other like-minded organizations all over. Will was a founding board member of Friends of Boerner Botanical Gardens, an official judge for All-American Rose Selections and currently is the volunteer consulting Rosarian for the Chicago Botanic Garden. As Director Emeritus of Boerner Botanical Gardens, his presence continues as needed. In 1992 he published ROSE GROWING SIMPLIFIED and co-authored ROSE GARDENING in 1995. He is recognized for his philanthropy and continues to receive awards. In 2020, he was a recipient of the Award of Excellence from the National Garden Clubs, Inc.

William J. Radler joins our other three Honorary Members as one of the many brilliant, passionate horticulturists who is a generous, modest, highly qualified, worthy individual willing to give back in so many ways as he or she shares his or her expertise.

A complete list of awards William Radler has won is below:

The Knock Out® Rose Awards
• All America Rose Selections 2000
• Municipality of Genoa International Rose Competition, Prize of Genoa 2001
• 2002 ADR award, Germany
• American Rose Society 2003 David Fuerstenburg Prize, awarded to William
Radler for the development of the outstanding The Knock Out® Rose
• Australian Gold Medal 2003
• International Rose Test Garden, Portland, Oregon, Gold Medal Award 2003
• The American Rose Society Members Choice award 2004
• Arkansas Select Plant for 2005
• Pride of Kansas 2006
• Official Flower of the Beijing Olympics.
• 2018 Inductee into the World Federation of Rose Societies' Rose Hall of Fame
Other William Radler Award Winning Roses
• Australian Gold Medal 2004 The Double Knock Out® Rose
• Japan Certificate award for The Double Knock Out® Rose (year)
• 2011 Gold Medal award from Rose Hills Company International Rose Trials for
The White Knock Out® Rose
• Biltmore™ 2011 International Rose Trial Edith Wharton Award for the rose
Milwaukee's Calatrava™
• American Rose Trials for Sustainability, Master Rose 2018, The Icecap™ Rose
• American Rose Trials for Sustainability, Master Rose 2018, The Peachy Knock
Out® Rose
• American Rose Trials for Sustainability, Master Rose 2019 The Bubble Double™
Rose
• American Rose Trials for Sustainability, Master Rose 2019 The Peppermint
Pop™ Rose
• American Rose Trials for Sustainability, Master Rose 2019 The Blushing Knock
Out® Rose
• American Rose Trials for Sustainability, Master Rose 2019 The Double Knock
Out® Rose
2011 Jane Righter Rose Medal
• American Rose Trials for Sustainability, Master Rose 2019 The Pink Knock Out®
Rose
• American Rose Trials for Sustainability, Master Rose 2019 The Double Pink
Knock Out® Rose
• American Rose Trials for Sustainability, Master Rose 2020 The Phloxy Baby™
Rose (Look-a-Like® series)
• American Rose Trials for Sustainability, Master Rose 2020 The Highwire Flyer™
Rose
• American Rose Trials for Sustainability, Master Rose 2021 The Coral Knock
Out® Rose
• American Rose Trials for Sustainability, Master Rose 2021 The White Knock
Out® Rose
• American Rose Trials for Sustainability, Master Rose 2022 The Champion™
Sunblush Rose
• American Garden Rose Selections 2016 Regional Award for The Phloxy Baby™
Rose (Look-a-Like® series)
• American Garden Rose Selections 2017 Regional Award for The Icecap™ Rose
• American Garden Rose Selections 2017 Regional Award for The Tahitian
Treasure™ Rose
• American Garden Rose Selections 2017 Regional Award for The Peachy Knock
Out® Rose
• American Garden Rose Selections 2018 Regional Award for The Coral Knock
Out® Rose
• Biltmore™ 2018 International Rose Trial Edith Wharton Award for the rose
Shining Moment™
• Biltmore™ 2018 International Rose Trial Edith Wharton Award for the rose
Highwire Flyer™
• Biltmore™ 2018 International Rose Trial William Cecil Award for the rose
Highwire Flyer™
• International Rose Test Garden, Portland, Oregon, 2018 Best Grandiflora and
People's Choice for Best Rose for The Honey Nectar™ Rose
• WFRS 2021 International Rose Trials in Nyon, Switzerland, Certificate of Merit
for the rose Shining Moment™
• WFRS 2021 International Rose Trials in Nyon, Switzerland, Gold Medal for the
rose 'MEIradblaz'
• WFRS 2021 International Rose Trials in Nyon, Switzerland, Gold Medal for the
rose 'MEIradbux'
Awards to William J. Radler
• Great Rosarian of the Year 2008 for William J. Radler
• Wisconsin Garden Club Federation 2011 Bronze award for William J. Radler
• Honorary Member of the Milwaukee Art Center Garden Club
•
• Honorary Member of the Garden Club of America 2015 for William J. Radler
• Jane Righter Rose Medal for achievement in rose culture from the Garden Club
of America 2011 for William J. Radler
• 2015 Recipient of the Hutchinson Medal from the Chicago Horticultural Society
(Created in 1894 by the Chicago Horticultural Society to recognize outstanding
leadership or professional accomplishment that has be significant in furthering
horticulture, plant science or conservation.) (William J. Radler)
• National Garden Clubs, Inc. 2020 Award of Excellence